Author
Topic: Newest flea market paperweight find (Read 1466 times)

Yesterday at a nearby village flea market, I bought this beautiful paperweight. I'm pretty certain it's early Bohemian (turn-of-the-century, 19th/20th), and I recall seeing something similar to it in a book or maybe at a museum somewhere. I paid $22 (USD), no tax. Flea marketeers almost never charge any kind of tax in the States. I know I've never paid any tax.

What's unique about it is that the interior design is tiered. Rising over the "flower pot" style bottom are three tiers; sometimes called "fountain layers." Reminds me a little of Perthshire's Aladdin's Cave paperweight. Perhaps it was an antecedent. The faceting is very nice and the condition, aside from a minor scratch low and a couple of very tiny facet dings, is very good. Of course, the base has scratches. The interior colors are wonderfully vibrant.

Here are some views of the paperweight. The first is of it on display on my desk; the second is a side view; the third is a top view; and the fourth is a bottom view.

It's a Post WWI Boh, alright.Von Brackel's Art Deco book has wonderful pics of the many and varied styles of upright weights that they made.The 3 tiered style is not uncommon and it seems that the many glass houses in the region generally referred to as Bohemia was quite prolific between the wars.The 'ebay effect' has dramatically reduced prices realized for these over the past 2-3 years though there is the occasional exception.I like them and have many examples in my collection.